To the delight of animal rights activists and chagrin of the town's
lone pet store owner and the lobby that represents such businesses,the
Irvine City Council Tuesday night banned the retail sale of catsand
dogs. The council further earned gold stars from the likes ofOrange
County People for Animals and People for the Ethical Treatmentof Animals
by outlawing rodeos and circuses with exotic animals.

The ban bandwagon got rolling in August when the Irvine Co., which
owns most of the retail space in the city named after its foundingranch
family, revealed it would no longer lease or renew leases to petstores.